France and Germany lead push to keep military space powers in national hands

Germany and France are among seven countries calling for the proposed European Space Shield to be rebuilt around protecting EU space systems – with military space capabilities kept national.

Seven member states have called for a fundamental rethink of the European Space Shield, proposing a new space security architecture that centres on protecting EU space systems and leaves capability development to national governments.

Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden want the capitals in the driving seat and a narrower scope that respects national control over military space capabilities.

Paris and Berlin have long been sceptical of the European Space Shield, an initiative Brussels pitched last year in the Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030. Now the bloc's two heavyweights have set out their own vision of space security in a paper obtained by Euronews.

"It is necessary to conceive a European space security architecture that meaningfully integrates the existing and emerging space capabilities of the member states as well as already agreed EU mechanisms and avoids unnecessary duplication," the document reads.

According to the paper, the European Commission and the European External Action Service, the EU's diplomatic arm, have failed to define the purpose and scope of the initiative despite three dedicated workshops in the past six months.

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